easter fun

 Easter didn't go as planned this year, but we had a great time anyway.  On Friday my cute friend came to visit with her kids and they brought Heidi a bunch of Easter eggs.  They hid them around the house for her to find and patiently played with her over and over and over while I visited with my friend.  Another Easter egg hunt will be happening later this afternoon after naps.

 I think Heidi might like Easter even more than Christmas.  She is at the best age and she 

thinks every single part of Easter is just so fun.  She loved dying her eggs.  

 She really loved making Easter cookies because she loves sprinkles.

She may or may not have used almost the entire bottle of sprinkles.  I love
that Savanna is just watching Heidi.   

Would you like a little cookie with all those sprinkles?

 After an exhausting quick trip, both girls slept like champs Saturday night.  I had to wake Heidi up at 8 (that may seem early to some, but not for my typical 6 am girl).  As soon as I told her the Easter bunny had come she jumped out of bed and said, "That Easter bunny is so nice to bring us stuff!  Where did he go?"  Heidi was thrilled with her new book, pjs, and small lego set, but she was really mostly excited about opening and closing the eggs all morning.

 Savanna slept from 8pm-5am....wow.  I loved our little Easter miracle and she loved her first Easter.  Let's be honest, she is just about the happiest kid no matter what day it is, but I am pretty sure she was excited about getting cereal and binkys.  

After spending a quiet morning together, we headed off to church to celebrate the real reason for the day.  It was lovely.

books and a whole lotta love

 Oh honestly.  Just when I think I couldn't love them more.

 Heidi insisted on having Savanna join her in her morning reading ritual.  She kept saying, "Isn't she precious?  She likes me to read to her 'cause she's my best friend."  

If that doesn't melt your heart, I'm not sure what will.  

or something and other funnies

As a typical 2.5 year old, Heidi says the funniest things.  I try to remember them, but then I forget.  I decided I better document some of my favorites so they are not forgotten.

1.  "or something"

Heidi tends to add this little phrase after a lot of what she says.
*"Do you want to eat lunch or something?"
*"Should we play or something?"
*"Maybe we should water the plants or something."

2.  "little one"

I often call Heidi and Savanna 'little one'.  I didn't realize it until Heidi started calling me 'little one' from time to time.  It cracks me up every.single.time.

*Talking to me, "Come see me, little one."
*Again talking to me, "Thanks, little one."

3.  "Did you notice?"

Heidi also likes to start sentences with this phrase.

*"Did you notice I have a freckle on my leg?  Is it cute?"
*"Did you notice I was wearing all purple?"

I hope you noticed that I love you little one.

I am lucky I have such a happy and funny little girl

to do something with everyday.

entry way/front room

In our old house we really didn't have an entryway.  I love having one now.  I love the distressed hardwood floors.  In our old house we also really had no privacy. There was glass on the front door (Is it called a farm door or something?) and there were times I would literally army crawl on the kitchen floor to see who was there before I answered.  Maybe that's weird?  When Jeff wasn't home I just didn't always want to answer the door and if it was a solicitor I really didn't want to answer the door.  I remember one time I was nursing Heidi and someone walked up and I had to hurry to the other side of the kitchen so they wouldn't see me.  I hated it.  I hated that when someone came to the house they could just look in the whole way across the porch and then again at the door.  I guess  I just like my privacy.  Yes, we had blinds, but I liked having them open so we could have natural light.  When we were picking glass for the two sides of the door, I insisted on complete privacy glass.  

Right off the entryway is the front room.  We debated on how to use this room.  We talked about it being a possible office, dining room, or even bedroom.  In the end, we decided on a front room so the piano would have its own place.  I thought we would use this room when people came over (like home teachers, etc), but the truth is, we generally invite people all the way into the home.  We usually use this room for family night and that's about it.  Not sure it really gets used enough, but I like having a place to watch Heidi in the front yard when she is doing sidewalk chalk and I like having a quiet place for the piano.  I can't wait for the girls to have lessons and have music fill the home.  Since having little ones I hardly find time to play.  Well, let's say it like is: every time I try to play I am joined by a certain someone who likes to flip the pages of music and play herself while slowly pushing me off the bench.  Heidi can be quietly entertaining herself but the second she hears one note she comes racing in to join me.  Don't get me wrong, I love the company and I love her, I just feel like I can barely play anymore it's been so long since I have been able to practice!  

4 month shots and stats

I took this little sweetie in for her shots today.  

11 lb. 2 oz--below 5th percentile

24 inches--25th percentile

I have to say, I was a little shocked on the weight.  She seems so much bigger to me than Heidi was at this age, but they are actually really similar.  They are the exact same height but Savanna weighs 3 oz. more than Heidi did. The doctor suggested I start rice cereal to help with the reflux (which she is still struggling with apparently based on how her throat looked) and to help with the weight.  I am not sure if I am ready to start cereal.  I  don't see why we need to "beef" her up anyway.  I personally think she looks plenty chubby and she's short so doesn't that correspond to the weight anyway?  I am sure I will start sometime soon, but for now I am enjoying nursing her and I am so grateful I seem to have enough milk this time around.  As for her sleeping, it is definitely hit or miss. I won't to go into too much detail, but I think it is a pooping issue.  She only poops every 3 or 4 days (which is apparently completely normal and common for breastfed babies) and when she starts getting gassy, that's when she struggles.  I am not too worried about it though because she has really good habits so when her little issues are resolved, I am sure she will settle in.  She falls asleep easily on her own and in her own bed and when she isn't gassy she takes normal naps and sleeps longer stretches at night.  She will only be this little once, so we will kiss those sweet little cheeks all day...and night!!  We love you sweet little Vanny Vans!

aquarium

 We decided between the moving and keeping Savanna inside all winter Heidi kind of got the shaft in terms of going and doing anything fun. So on Friday night Jeff and I decided we would take her to Utah and do something fun.  We thought about the zoo but since a rainstorm was supposed to come in, we decided to take her to the aquarium since we had never been before.  Heidi is so excited about any and all animals and she couldn't wait to go the aquarium...especially since grandma was going to come along!

 The second we got in the car she kept saying, "I want to go to the quarium RIGHT NOW!!!  I want grandma RIGHT NOW!"  She was so excited, and let's face it, we were too.  There is nothing more exciting than watching your little one's face light up at each and every display.  Savanna slept through the first part of it, but when she woke up she liked watching the fish swim around.

Heidi loved the penguins and petting the starfish the most.  She wasn't so sure about the sharks or sting rays.   

Is there anything better than spending the day discovering the world with your little ones?  I doubt it.  I feel so blessed to have a handsome hubs and two healthy, happy little girls.


We were so glad grandma came along.  Heidi absolutely adores her grandma and we loved having one more set of hands!  We can't wait to go back to the aquarium!

enjoying the sun

 I love these two little girls so much my heart hurts.  I cannot imagine a life without the funny things Heidi says or Savanna's sweet little smiles.  There is nothing I would rather do than spend time with my two little angels and having beautiful weather to play in is definitely a dream!  I love spring and I hope it's here for good!  We have a lot of yard to put in, but we have a lot of playing we need to get in too!  We love being outside and decided to get a double jogging stroller.  Heidi has finally decided she can tolerate the stroller but the built in speakers don't hurt.
When I told Heidi it was nice enough to go to the park

she was so excited.  I went downstairs to get Savanna and by the time I was back upstairs she had taken her pajamas off, picked out clothes, and even started putting them on herself!  I was so proud of her!  She has been really interested in it lately and has had lots of practice lately since she thinks it's so fun to put my clothes on and off.  She took a nap in one of my t-shirts the other day.  So funny.  We walked to the post office and then headed straight to our favorite park--the shady park as Heidi calls it.  The whole time we were there Heidi kept reminding me of all the things she did there last summer.
She of course reminded me of other things too like, "Remember when Sammy was playing in the mud puddle at the bottom of the slide?"  She kept saying, "I love this park!  I just love being here!  I love you mom!"  The park just so happens to be across from the high school and when I watch the high school kids coming and going I tend to get a little choked up while I play with the girls.  Time just goes so fast and I know I am going to blink and they will be there instead of playing at the park.  Maybe I still have post pregnancy hormones?  Anyway, the cutest part was that Heidi wanted Savanna to do everything with her.  Every time Heidi would go down a slide or do anything she would say, "Now, Savanna, this is how you slide down.  Now, Savanna, this is how you climb the tricky ladder."  Precious.  Today was a little breezy but thankfully by 11 it was warm enough to go to a few parks.  We have been eating lunch outside and pretty much staying out as much as possible!  We LOVE this weather!

 In other news, this little sweetie has been sleeping so much better!!  It may be a fluke, but I would like to tell myself she is finally figuring it out!  I stuck to my guns and took the swing away for naps.  For 3 days she struggled to stay asleep for longer than 30 minutes or so and I just kept putting the binky back in or doing anything else I could to keep her in her bed and asleep.  Last night was the first night I put her down and she didn't wake up within 10 minutes. She slept from 8pm-4:30am, ate and went right back to sleep until Heidi woke her up around 7. Then this morning she went right to sleep in her crib for her morning and afternoon naps.  Maybe she is just growing and needs a little extra sleep.  Or more likely since we found a binky she loves and actually keeps in, she is sleeping longer stretches.  I remember Heidi would go through periods where she napped or slept better and I thought she had figured it out only to be disappointed, but having a solid 6 hour stretch of sleep felt like heaven last night!  Here's to hoping the sleeping and more importantly, the weather lasts!

exersaucer for savanna?

 Recently we got the exersaucer out for Savanna.  She is kind of into it, but not for long stretches of time.  Heidi of course has been very interested in the 'new' toy.  Jeff has put her in it as a joke a few times.  Seeing that she weighs the same as a child that would sit in it, I figure it's not going to do it any harm.  Usually she is good to just spin the toys around for Savanna while Savanna sits in it.  Anyway, this morning I was on the treadmill for my morning run and Heidi was quietly reading her books as usual.  About 20 minutes into my run I look over after hearing Heidi laughing saying, "Look at me, mom!!"  Heidi had put herself in the exersaucer. She was pretending to have snacks and a drink while bouncing away and spinning the toys.  After about 2 1/2 minutes she realized it wasn't all it was cracked up to be and wanted out.  Of course getting out proved far more difficult than getting in so she had to patiently wait for me to finish to get her out.  Oh Heidi Heids, thanks for making me laugh!

the banister

 Taking pictures of the house is seriously so hard.  Not sure why.  It seems like the light is always off or the color and it is just so hard to portray everything accurately!  Plus, you just can't get the flow of the house in a picture.  Either way, the staircase is a huge part of the house.  Because of the two-story great room it is pretty central.  Sometimes I think about the two-story great room and wonder if we should have done one story just to get a few more rooms upstairs.  But then I look at the staircase and the high ceilings and remind myself that I like the way it is, even if it means kids might have to share rooms down the road.  Deciding what to do for the banister was a challenge. I wanted to be absolutely perfect.  I poured over magazines and finally decided to go with a wood/rod iron mix.  It is so unbelieveably perfect!  It is one of the first things people comment on when they come in the house.  I am so glad I kept searching until I found exactly what I wanted.  The color is the same as the hardwood floors and cabinets.  I wonder if I will ever get tired of looking at the banister.  I hope not.

four months

 Have I ever mentioned that I love this little Savanna girl?  Well, I do.  A lot.  She just makes me so incredibly happy.  I don't know how we ever had a life without her sweet little spirit in our home.  What I really can't believe is that she has been with us for four whole months.  She is definitely changing from a newborn into a baby and we can't get enough of her little cheeks!  I won't get her stats until the end of the month when I take her in, but here are some things we love about Savanna.

 *Savanna is so incredibly happy.  Of course she has her moments in the evening, but from the second she wakes up she is my smiley little girl.  As soon as she sees someone she just lights up with the hugest grin. Her smile is infectious and it's either a huge open mouth grin or she wrinkles her nose while smiles.  So adorable.
*Loves to watch her older sister.  We often catch her staring and smiling at Heidi.
*So ticklish and it is so easy to get laughs out of her.  Oh my goodness how we love this.  Is there anything sweeter than a baby's laugh?  I think not.
*Still not a stellar sleeper by any means. She typically goes down around 8 and then I have to give her a binky around midnight and then she's up again by 2.  I usually feed her and hope she will go back to sleep.  Sometimes it's a fight to get her back to sleep.  Then she is up again by 5:30 or 6.  It's exhausting, but we love her all the same.  If we knew the secret for getting her to sleep, we would definitely try it!

*Has rolled over from her tummy to her back to escape tummy time about 5 times.
*Loves to lay on her play mat and loves to chat with her friends on her bouncy seat.
*Sleeps better if she is swaddled really tight.  Whenever she gets out of her swaddle it's a guarantee she will up soon.
*Loves her bath and hates getting out and in her pajamas.
*Likes to be read to.

 *Blows lots and lots of bubbles.
*Often sucks on two fingers or her clothes...whichever is most convenient.
*Very patient.
*Getting a huge bald spot in the back. I love that phase...can you sense my sarcasm?
*Have I mentioned how happy she is?

I love you, Savanna and I can't believe I am lucky enough to call you mine!

the front

So I am sitting in the scrapbook room waiting for Heidi to fall asleep.  I don't dare start the paper cutter to actually start scrapbooking until I know she is out.  I figured I could do another post about the house.  I thought that if I intersperse house with the millions of posts on my two little ones, it might make my blog a little more entertaining.  One of the hardest things about building the house was picking the outside.  I just had a hard time visualizing what everything would look like on a large scale.  Overall, we are happy with the outcome. We love having a three car garage but Jeff is already talking about building the shed in the back.  Neither one of us like clutter and he has a lot of wood working tools that he wants out of the garage.  Seeing that we have a yard and fence to put in this spring/summer I am not quite sure a shed is in the cards quite yet.  I can't wait to get a yard in and watch Savanna discover grass for the first time.  I can't wait to pick out flowers with the girls and plant some trees.  It is certain to be A LOT of work, but we are excited to get going on our next project.